How+to+use+your+PLN

toc = Introduction to PLN's: Challenge 5 = Read the information below and then respond on the [|discussion forum.]
 * What is one challenge you face in the classroom and how can you use your PLN to overcome the challenge? **

=**How to Use Your PLN**=

** Asking for Help **
You never have to do anything alone. Teachers face various challenges every day (curriculum, resources, technology, behavior management). Instead of trying to figure out how to overcome your challenges on your own, put out a request for help on your PLN. You never know, you may even connect with a mentor or teaching partner who is halfway across the world but is willing to spend time helping you.





** Asking for Ideas **
You don't have to reinvent the wheel. Save yourself some time and instead of searching for resources or lesson plan ideas on your own, ask for help using your PLN tools. One teacher asked for solar system resources on Edmodo and received 7 responses and many links within 2 hours.

** Asking for Feedback **
You can share your lesson plans, classroom ideas, and new projects and solicit feedback from your network before implementing the ideas in the classroom. You can also solicit feedback when you are facing a challenging problem in the classroom and need advice.

** Connecting with Others **
You can use your PLN tools to connect with a global audience of educators worldwide. You can find collaboration partners, mentors, and individuals that will give you advice, share resources, and provide feedback.

** Learning from Others **
Don't waste your time waiting to attend a conference to hear about best practices and what works/doesn't work for teachers in the same position as you. Use social bookmarking tools and RSS readers to stay up-to-date on the latest news, theories, and ideas from teachers around the world. You can quickly skim hundreds of articles/blog posts, read the ones relevant to you, and try the ideas suggested in the articles in your classroom.

Sharing Your Expertise
One of the great things about building a PLN is that communication is a two-way street. You learn from others and then you get to share your voice. People that add you to their network learn from you. So you get to help shape your PLN as much as the educators and resources you connect with.

What should you share and how? Here are some tips:
 * **RSS Readers** - add comments to blog posts
 * **Social Bookmarking** - share annotated bookmarks with your group
 * **Twitter** - share links, resources, respond to other educators' tweets
 * **Edmodo** - respond to other members' requests for ideas, resources, feedback
 * **Ning** - share best practices, lesson plans, and other success stories in a blog or discussion forum, share your advice in chat rooms

Week 2 Tools Preview
The following tools will be discussed in depth during week 2. Here is a preview of the types of tools you can use to build your PLN and find support.

The information aggregation type of professional learning network is when you stay up-to-date on new information and best practices by following multiple websites and news sources.
 * Information Aggregation**
 * Tools:**
 * RSS Readers
 * Social Bookmarking

The social media connection type of PLN is when you use social media tools to connect with various individuals around the world. These social media tools include social networking sites (Facebook, Twitter), affinity-based group sites (Ning, Wikispaces), and real-time interaction tools (online chat rooms, instant messaging, Skype, Second Life). While, Ning, Facebook, and Twitter have real-time interaction capabilities, it is common to use these sites for asynchronous learning where you post a question to a community discussion board or send a message to another individual and check back at a later time to find a response. These sites are //less demanding on your time// because you can write or respond to posts whenever you have free time in your schedule. These sites also provide a space for collective knowledge where teachers can find support from large groups of individuals that pool their answers to find the best solution to a problem.
 * Social Media Connections**
 * Tools:**
 * Twitter
 * Edmodo
 * Ning

Discussion Forum
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